When told I would have to journey to the top of a snowy mountain to drive the newest Ferrari model I wondered if this would be the craziest location I had ever traveled to test a new model. And believe me, I've been to some odd places to test a new car -- such as driving the Renault Laguna on Tanzania's gravel roads, taking a Fiat Uno around the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in Florida and climbing San Francisco's Twin Peaks in a Volvo wagon.
Reading the invitation I wondered: Do I really want to ascend to Plan de Corones, a 2275-meter-high ski resort on the Alps between Italy and Austria to drive the FF, Ferrari's first four-wheel-drive model ever?
"Trust me and come up!" Dario Benuzzi, Ferrari's legendary test driver, shouted at me when I asked him if the trip was worth it.
Benuzzi is someone I am happy to listen to because he is the only test driver in the global auto industry who has the power to stop a car's debut if it doesn't perform to his standards.
When I arrived at Plan de Corones I was happy to be dressed like an Antarctic explorer because it was -17 Celsius and windy, making it feel a lot colder.